The present invention relates to a needle guide and an ultrasonic biopsy probe, and more particularly to a needle guide and an ultrasonic biopsy probe having a structure for preventing a needle from being touched by a hand of an operator.
In the prior art, there is known an ultrasonic biopsy probe comprising an ultrasonic probe body having an elongated trunk provided with ultrasonic transducers at a first end and a cable led out from a second end for conducting ultrasound transmission and reception with the portion in which the ultrasonic transducers are disposed inserted into a subject, and a needle guide having a straight conduit portion into which a needle is inserted, and united with the ultrasonic probe body (e.g., see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
[Patent Document 1]Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2001-299753 (FIGS. 17 and 20).
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. H9-238945 (FIG. 2).
In the conventional ultrasonic biopsy probe, an operator positions the needle to align with the center axis of the straight conduit portion in front of an opening of the needle guide, next moves the needle straightforward to insert the needle tip into the opening, and then further moves the needle straightforward.
However, since a hand of the operator holding the ultrasonic probe body lies in front of the opening of the needle guide, there arises a problem that the hand of the operator is likely to touch the needle tip when inserting the needle into the needle guide.